Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Interested in the ever-exciting wild card race, featuring two teams in the rear-view mirror for the Dodgers (and both farther than they would appear)? Jorge De La Rosa of the Rockies (14-9, 4.37) faces Giant Deuce Matt Cain (13-5, 2.61) at Big Phone Park, in a game that faces two second-tier NL West competitors head to head.

Oh, sure, they both have records better than the Detroit Tigers. But this is only entertaining to watch if you enjoy self-flagellation (rooting for the arch-rival Giants over the Rockies) and risking future years of therapy trying to figure out why the enemy of our enemy is still sort of our enemy, at least for another couple of games (a Giants win, sweeping the Rockies to match the Dodgers' sweep of the Pirates, would shrink the Rockies' Wild Card lead to 1.5 games with 15 left to play).

Before we get to the relevant games at hand tonight, game notes from today:

What happened to Arsenal? Nearly beaten by Std Liege? All's well that ends well, I suppose. Come on, gotta represent for the Empire (thought ENG or FRA empire I'm not sure which with Arsenal).

Too crowded, not enough time to have a Short Stop stop and make it into the stadium by first pitch. Also, Loge Lounge was closed off for a private party (why can't we do that!) so stood there and ate my Dodger Dog and had a crappy American beer at a standing table right outside the lounge. Ended up talking to an old school Dodger fan and had a real good conversation. He was my soul mate on opinions around Billingsley, Loney, Pierre, Martin, etc. Awesome conversation and overall great atmosphere out there today. Rare mid-week day game brought it all out. It ended up being a record non-opening day midweek day game.

As to the missing ump question, they were down an ump (stuck in traffic?) until the 6th inning. It was interesting watching how the umps positioned themselves when they were a man down based on the handedness of the batter and if there was a runner, etc.

Speaking of umps, the two fake umps from Toronto were there today. I have been fascinated with these guys all season so it was fun to watch. They seem like great guys as they posed for every picture request they got (and there were a lot) and signed every autograph requested. I'm not much for diversions (see: beachballs) but this was just good clean fun. Love those guys. At one point they were using their brushes to dust off "home plate" and between innings. The real home plate ump turned around and saw them and was quite amused.

Jose Lima was in the crowd and was recognized, as was Ian Ziering from the original 90210. STOP! Lima Time!

I am really shocked that Manny didn't make it into the game. I would have bet heavily on a meaningless pinch hit in late innings to give the crowd what it wanted. It didn't matter to me either way, and it is understandable enough that some needed to be sitted after a long game last night. But still...weird.

It took me a friggin hour and 10 minutes to get home! WTF? I should have left the car there and walked back to Pasadena. I was getting thirsty after awhile.

Speaking of distractions, I was in a section that both tried to start the wave (and booed the shit out of any section that failed to keep it going) AND nearly rioted every time a beachball went over the wall and into the visitors pen.

WATCH. THE. GAME. PEOPLE!

Also, Loge 168 seems to be the prime spot for young ladies to run in, fill empty seats, shoot as many pics of Ethier as they can, and then disappear again.

Thanks for the pix, Josh. Especially of the Don't Stop Believin' fatso, who today had brought his own faux mic.

Heard something disturbing on the way home (eg, sitting in the parking lot) that Steve Perry is a huge Jints fan and is really mad now that Dodgers have "owned" his song, going so far as to say he doesn't want it used any more However, he still takes the residuals.

@DBArsenal was close to imploding before Wenger calmed them at the half. Of course, Bendtner's goal helped a bit.Still reeling from a bad fortnight in Manchester. . .I guess.

Wish I could've been there to have at it. With a 12:00 start time, you have to hit the SS extra early. I'm not sure if any of their employees are awake before 11 am.

As for Steve Perry: he can suck it. Chrissie Hynde doesn't get all bent over Rush Limbaugh using "Ohio" as his bumper music. He wrote the song (I guess), recorded it with a band (he's just the singer), and cashes those checks when they come. If he doesn't like it, tough. Find another line of work.

@Dusty Baker it cracks me up when you say "ESPN Gringo", i thought some people gets offended with that word.

Earlier i watched the Yankees-Jays game and the announcers were talking about the Red Sox-Halos game and one of them said:" the team from Anaheim, sorry i meant the the team of L.A. I got outraged and i was this close to email the tv station.

You should send that email! I was just ranting on here the other day about when commentators who are not from here either don't know or don't do their homework enough to know that Anaheim isnt LA, or right outside LA, or even near LA, in terms or geography (or at least drive time) nor is it the same, culturally. And that's not a judgment on Anaheim/Orange County, or on LA, conversely. It's just a fact. But the commentators are such stupid, simple pinheads that they can't get that fact. They can figure the vast difference between, say, Queens and the Bronx, but not LA and OC.

"Gringo" is such a tiny, tame word that most folks don't really give a whit about being called it. There are so many other truly rude or judgmental things one might call another that this quaint, almost antiquated one just doesn't factor in. As well, most of us around here are pretty self-deprecating so comfortable classifying ourselves as such (for those of us who are).

Words can be powerful, but there are also a lot of really cheap, useless ones, too.

Randy Johnson is NOT healthy. You could tell when he was warming up that his shoulder is an issue. I guess the fact that he is warming up belies the importance that Jints places on this game. It's slipping away...

COL 4, SF 1, bottom of the 9th, they just scored that run, runners on first and second, no outs.

This inning also featured a match between Sandoval and Morales, which is interesting because they belong to bitter rivals in winter baseball, even worse than Giants-Dodgers, Red Sox-Yankees, Cubs-Cardinals because those matches paralyze the entire country in a way that only the Miss Venezuela can. Well, this is a small country, after all.

You all are a hardy lot. I got so tired of the Berm whale and Rick "go jump off a" Sut-Cliff that I had to change the channel. I found VH1-C showing FM from 1978. I know that was before most of you were born, but damn, Linda Ronstadt was hott back then.